smith



(No Model.)

T.` B. SMITH.

` FIRE ESCAPE. I

8 l L w N my. 7 ,w V 2 n V. .wd l M f ,am 1% 1 wmlf/ J f U .m ,n B e Lm2 B .w n@ a N Afm-Waag,

to elevate the car or basket.

of the parts and their operation will rst be` i UNiTii)y .STATES` PATENTTirion..

THOMAS B. SMITH, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO BENJ.WEBER, OF SAME PLAGE.

` FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPIECI1 "ICA'.[ION forming part of Letters atent No. 289,318, datedNovember 27, 1883. Application filed July 31, 1883. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is aspecification. My invention relates to a nre-escape or apparatus forlowering, having a spring adapted The construction described, Aand theinvention then designated in the claim.

In the annexed drawings, which illustrate the improvements, Figure l isa side View, in which the parts are shown mostly in vertical section,the carl or basket being inclosed, as when not in use. Fig. 2 is a sideview, but showing the car or basketin position for use. Fig. 3 is a viewof the stop device. Fig. 4 is a side view of the fan which checks thecar when descending.

fof the inclosure; C, the winding-drum, andl) the car, suspended by arope, e, from the drum. A frame, F, preferably of metal, is securelyfixed in the wall, or may be attached on the inner side of the wallwithin the building, and all the mechanism is secured in this frame. Thedrum C projects outward from the wall, and is mounted on a shaft, C',the inner end of which has bearing in the frame, while the outer end issupported by the hanger-bar G, which inclines down from the top of theframe. Thus the rope which suspends theV car passes directly to theground without having to pass over or under rollers, as would be thecase if the drum were on the inner side or within the wall, and theliability of the -rope getting caught is avoided. A coiled spring, h,has one end fastened to the shaft O and the other end to a box, t',which incloses the spring, the

boX being rmly attached to the frame. When the car is lowered, theunwinding of the drum causes this spring to be wound up on the shaft,and the reaction of the spring serves to elevate the car when the loadhas been removed therefrom.

Means to check the loaded car when descending, so as to prevent its toorapid descent, consist of a fan, J, mounted loosely on a shaft, k, sothat the latter may turn one way (when the car is being elevated)without rotating the fan, and thereby not hinder the elevation; while aratchet-wheel, l, fixed to the saine shaft, is engaged by a pawl, n,attached to the fan, so that when the shaft turns the opposite way (aswhen the car is being lowered) the fan will rotate, and thereby resist atoo rapid descent of the car. There may be two such fans on the sameshaft, as shown at p. The fan is inclosed by a case, J', and thefan-shaft is connected with the drum-shaft by suitable gear- 113g, Q-

Means to hold the car at any desired point between its inclosure B andthe ground, or to stop it when descending, consist of a brakeband, r,applied to a flange or face, b, on one end of the drum, and a cord orwire, r', attached to the brake-band, passes through an eye, r2, on theear. When the apparatus is in use, this cord hangs down to the ground,and is within reach of a person in the car, or of a person at a windowof building. lThe earinclosure B, at its bottom, is provided with a trapor door, s, hinged at one side of the inclosure, and supported at theother side by a spring-bolt, t. By this arrangement the hinged trap-doors serves as a support, on which the car D sits, as shown in Fig. l. Thebrakerope o" may also be coiled up and supported upon this trap-door;also, a rope, D, which is attached to the bottom of the car, is in likemanner supported upon the trap-door. It will be seen that when thespring-bolt t is with-- drawn the trap-door will fall to the positionshown in Fig. 2, and thereupon the ca r will hang suspended from thedrum, and the drawrope D will hang down to the ground, and 4may be usedby any one on the ground or at a window to draw the car down. Thetrapdoor is released by the withdrawal of the spring-bolt, and thisiseffected by a cord or wire, a, running down the wall and connected tothe spring-bolt by a bell-crank lever, o. It is only necessary to drawon the cord -u to place the entire apparatus in position for use.

Having described my invention, IeIa-im and In testimony whereof I :Lfxmy signature 1o desire to secure byLetters Patent ofthe United inpresence of two Witnesses. States-l In aline-escape, the combination ofa sns- TI-IOS. B. SMITH. 5 pended oar having a draw-rope, D7 attached t0its bottom, a coiled spring to elevate the Vtnesses:

can', and a ea-r-i1iolosure, B, provided with a. JNO. ED. MORRIS, bottomdooi` hinged at one side and supportedv JNO. T. MADDOX.

at the other by a draw-bolt, as set forth.

